Today, the world of social media is ruled by content creators. It is a well-established profession now that kids look up to embark upon. But years ago, no one imagined “content” to be a whole career. Yet, Ankush Bahuguna decided to take a leap of faith as he decided to follow his passion and the rest is history.
From entertaining millions of followers with his comedy content to reshaping the world of makeup by exploring and experimenting, Ankush has established himself as a widely-loved influencer. Emerging from a childhood shadowed by self-doubt and navigating through the complexities of his early career choices, Ankush Bahuguna’s journey is quite inspiring.
Ankush Bahuguna has reinvented himself numerous times, transitioning from an architecture graduate to a skilled writer, a talented actor, a fashion model, and a charming host on ‘The Gentleman Show‘. He has also bagged multiple accolades like Cosmopolitan India’s Breaking Barriers Award, ‘Outstanding Beauty Creator of the Year‘ at the Myntra x Grazia Glammy Awards, amongst other noteworthy ones.
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On the occasion of his birthday today, we take you through the highlights of Ankush’s content. Read on:
How He Started
Ankush studied architecture at the ‘Sushant School of Art and Architecture’ in Gurugram. But from the first month of joining college, he knew it was not for him. Upon graduating he immediately joined the lifestyle brand MensXP as a writer and eventually started creating videos. He began creating content shortly after and thoroughly enjoyed it.
After writing scripts for comedy videos and screenplays for short films, he started appearing in them as an actor. Three years down the line, Bahuguna realised he had enough skills to become a creator. He then decided to build his own community instead of working for a brand or a publication. And aren’t we glad that he did?
Comedy Content
Over the years, he has managed to build a strong follower base with his relatable content. Ankush aces observational comedy with his videos where he expresses his opinion on a trait, trend, or action and gives it a satirical twist. He also hilariously imitates movie characters and actors which always cracks up his followers.
Ankush has also created a series of vent, rant, and crib videos in which he uses the relatability factor to discuss any addiction, annoying trend, personality characteristic, et al. The creator has been extremely interactive with his audience. His bio reads “Its going to feel like a toxic relationship 🐍” He showers his fans with aggressive love and they call each other ‘sapolas‘.
“As far as engaging my audience is concerned, I think just something as simple as keeping them up to date with where I’m at, physically and mentally, makes sure they’re connected with me. People who relate to you will always engage with your content. So, I chase connection, not engagement” says the influencer.
Wing It With Ankush
One day during the Covid-19 pandemic, he randomly uploaded a video talking about why people judge men for wearing makeup while he was applying makeup. It really blew up and the numbers were very impressive. While there was trolling and hate, there was also a lot of positivity. The support and love from his fans helped him transition and explore a new genre.
After creating comedy content for almost six years, Ankush Bahuguna’s newfound love for makeup made him become a beauty content creator. Without having any professional make-up skills, he started experimenting on his mother and other co-creators like Shibani Bedi, Dolly Singh, and more. He created a new Instagram page called Wing It With Ankush which boasts 670K followers today.
This led him to become the first Indian beauty creator to have his own YouTube show with the same name which was sponsored by Lakmé. He invited famous personalities and influencers like Kusha Kapila, Prajakta Koli, actor Sheeba Chadha, Shruti Hassan, amongst others to his show to give them a makeover.
In 2021, Bahuguna was the only male creator on board as the brand ambassador for the makeup brand MAC Foundation alongside actor Bhumi Pednekar and other influencers. Bahuguna just concluded the third season of his ‘Wing It With Ankush‘ show with one of his followers having vitiligo as the showstopper.
On his makeup page, he also reviews makeup products from various brands and also tries to recreate celebrity looks from events or movies. Ankush believes that everybody, regardless of their gender or identity, should be accepted for the way they dress and express themselves. And he showcases that through his content that his audience also enjoys.
Including His Family
Coming from a middle-class Delhi family, it is so wholesome to see Ankush’s parents not only support his career choice but also participate in it. He often gets them to feature in his videos. Whether it’s a funny sketch or travel content from a family trip, he always finds a way to include them. Especially Mother Bahuguna. She is super popular on his social media with a fan following of her own.
He Dances Too
Literally a treasure trove of talent, Ankush kills it with his dance moves as well. He collaborates with popular choreographer Shazeb Sheikh and the duo creates some amazing dance routines together. These videos bring out an altogether different personality of Ankush and we’re here for it! From acing every step to integrating comedy into it, his audience loves his dance reels.
Dealing With Backlash
Being a public face on the Internet is going to garner backlash no matter what you do. And with Ankush foraying into the world of beauty, the hate and trolling only intensified. He has had to face many challenges in dealing with the negativity. From ignoring the trolls to getting affected by them to unabashedly giving it back, Ankush has been through all the faces.
Just recently he called out a few trollers on his makeup page by posting screenshots of the hate comments along with his sassy replies to them. He captioned the post saying “If you’re going to CHOOSE to write shit, I’ll give you your 2 min of fame 🥰 Calling someone gay/chakka/ladki is not an insult. Do better 🙂“
Foraying Into Acting
The Jack of all trades now wants to fulfil his dream of becoming an actor. Bahuguna’s Plan A was to do acting. He recently moved to Mumbai and has joined an acting workshop. Ankush has been auditioning for eight years now, waiting for a big break. He was inspired by his mother to venture into this field – she is a regional actor and has also featured in web series like Tandav and Paatal Lok. Ankush Bahuguna himself featured in a short film called Badboli Bhavna alongside Apoorva Arora which was released last year on Amazon MiniTV.
Ankush, all we want to say is that “Tum bohot mast kaam karta hai!” We love your content and admire your quest to constantly entertain your audience across genres. Keep it coming, we’re manifesting bigger milestones for you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANKUSH! ❤️
